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TORONTO, December 3, 2008 – BMO Bank of Montreal has signed an agreement to lease a new state-of-the-art and environmentally-friendly facility that, when constructed, will be the largest new office building in the City of Mississauga. The customer contact centre will be located at 2465 Argentia Road (Highway 401 and Mississauga Road). Construction is targeted for completion by the end of 2010.
BMO is partnering with First Gulf Corporation, one of Canada's most respected commercial, retail and industrial real estate development companies, and Sun Life Financial, a leading international financial services organization, to design a customer contact centre that will be suited to BMO's specific needs. The bank is bringing three of its contact centre groups -- BMO's Direct Banking, Card & Retail Payment Services and Risk Collections -- and their support teams together into one building.
To reinforce BMO's commitment to the environment, the new building will be constructed to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards. LEED certification covers the design, construction, and operation of green buildings. Among the features targeting LEED Silver certification are energy-efficient heating and cooling, including energy recovery from exhaust air.
“The BMO contact centre is going to be a great facility and we'll be able to work directly with First Gulf and Sun Life to design a space that meets all of our requirements,” said Michael Thornburrow, Senior Vice-President, Corporate Real Estate and Sourcing, BMO Financial Group. “Bringing our contact centre staff together under one roof will have the additional benefit of enhancing their ability to work together to quickly and effectively attend to our customers' needs.”
The move will also allow BMO to relocate its Card & Retail Payment Services headquarter functions to the bank's Bay at Bloor Street offices to work alongside colleagues with similar roles in the Bank's Personal and Commercial division. The transition to the new locations will take place over 2011 and into the first half of 2012.
“In the meantime, it's business as usual from our existing locations. Our primary focus is continuing to deliver on our vision to define great customer experience,” said Mr. Thornburrow.
About the First Meadowvale Corporate Centre
- 10-storeys
- 250,000 square feet
- Contact Centre capacity for 1,200 work stations
- Near the Meadowvale GO Station with two-way service from Union Station
- More than 700 free parking spaces
- Convenient access from Hwys 401 and 407
- Mississauga Transit service that stops right at the front doors of the building
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